Civil War and Confederate Postal History Articles

By Patricia A. Kaufmann

This is primarily a small selection of the many articles written on my favorite subject, as well as resources from other places on the Web.

COMPLIMENTS

From a respected writer and distinguished colleague, "Delighted to see that you have been selected to join the APS Writers Unit Hall of Fame. You add sparkle to the ranks. Not enough of our guild go beyond the facts and statistics about our favored bits of paper. It is one of the distinguishing characteristics of your work that you don't treat your subjects as flat bits of paper. You make them live, and I admire that. Well done!" JMH

From another fellow writer and colleague,"You write non-fiction the way I wish most writers could / would: it reads like good, compelling fiction, but is fully informed and excellent history. You are among the best in philately (I can think of only one or two others I would so classify)." SMR

From a fan: "I really enjoy all of your articles. You make the hobby more fun, and interesting." CBO

About my 3-part series in Kelleher's on James Penfield, a Union prisoner of war who "toured" the South from prison to prison: Thank you for your wonderful article on the civil war experiences of James A. Penfield (Kelleher's Collectors Connections, 2016). As a genealogist and family historian, I really enjoyed being able to see so many original documents in the actual handwriting of members of a family I have been researching, and the sensitive way you breathed life into the people behind the the handwriting. It's sad that so many collectors, whether of dead letters, or dead relatives, never realize what they're missing by failing to look beyond the names, dates, and artifacts to try to understand the living, breathing people these things represent. GRG

Received regarding my column on "The Immortal 600": "I NEVER, and I mean NEVER EVER, write to an author. But, I could not ignore your GREAT article in the ASDA magazine, which I have now read four times, enjoying it more each time. Wow!!! I can think of no other philatelic item, that impressed me so much. I look for your column in the ASDA magazine, one of the main reasons, I subscribe." PAR

More kind words: "As I was reading your article in the Jan/Feb 2016 Kelleher's Collectors Connection, I thought where does she find these great items that tell such intriguing stories. Then it occurred to me that it might be that every cover/letter has a story to tell, if you are willing to do the research. So with that thought, I wanted to write you to thank you for putting in the time to research the covers and letters and then exquisitely write the articles. Much appreciated." KP

WHY I WRITE

I have adored postal history since my late teens. I wrote almost from the very beginning. Postal history has great potential for collectors who are also fascinated by human studies. I love the stories told by the covers. By the time I am done researching a particular subject, I feel I personally know the families and the subject of my research. And like many authors who are asked to identify their favorite article, I usually say that my favorite is whichever one I am working on right now. One thing leads to another with covers and the most seemingly mundane example suddenly comes alive, speaking to us from the past.

One of my favorite quotes: We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning.Archibald MacLeish

WRITING AWARDS

I am blessed to have been the recipient of numerous writing awards over the years and was inducted into the philatelic Writers' Hall of Fame of the American Philatelic Society Writers' Unit 30 in 2017, as well as winning four specific literature awards that year.

Provenance: Tracing Philatelic Ownership Through Owner and Expert Markings - extensive compendium of markings found on Confederate stamps and covers. An original article illustrating known markings and including detailed vignettes on the collectors, dealers and experts who produced them. Provenance helps establish pedigree and authenticity. Covers or stamps with demonstrable pedigree are more coveted than their mundane brethren. A cover that was once owned by Caspary, for example, really gets advanced collectors excited.

The Confederate Stamp Primer Onlineis a basic stamp by stamp guide for those who don't have access to classic philatelic literature on the subject or for those who do, but would like a quick online reference. You may view just the section in which you are interested or read it systematically from one page to the next. This primer deals only with stamps and not the vast area of postal history covered by The Rebel Post.Of particular note is the section called "Trouble Spots" which deals with common problems encountered between stamp types and details on forgeries encountered. This includes the all-important Dates of Secession and CSA Admission

An overview of collecting the Confederate era, this article first appeared in Scott's Monthly Stamp Journal in April 1976, describing the the postal history that began when a handful of Southern states first seceded from the Union until the last shots of the War were fired. It is a fascinating look at the Confederate postal system which clearly demonstrates why specialists are so passionate about this area of collecting. For a more in depth article on the stamps of the Confederacy, see the "Confederate Stamp Primer Online."

Due to the revolutionary nature of the material presented, this article appeared in both The American Philatelist and The Confederate Philatelist at the same time in February 2000 by joint cooperation of the editorial teams. The research resulted in the addition of a completely new section in the Scott Catalogue which immediately precedes the Confederate provisional section.

SPERATI CONFEDERATE FORGERIES - by Patricia A. Kaufmann, as printed in The Philatelic Book of (even more) Secrets, Volume 2, 2015 by Professional Stamp Experts

Stamp Collectors Quarterly (formerly Kelleher's Collectors Connection) is a stellar house organ that began in the fall of 2015. It is destined to become "the" philatelic house organ of all time, instantly surpassing the best of all prior works, such as the classic Herst's Outbursts. This slick publication is chock full of fascinating and utterly readable articles that will capture your undivided attention, no matter what you collect. The publication bears the distinctive touch of the premier philatelic editor of our time, Randy Neil. While I have no business association with Kelleher, I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful endeavor. Links to the Kelleher site with online versions are shown here with permission. My columns on Confederates and the Civil War began with Volume 1, Number 2, although I sometimes stray into non-Confederate subjects as well.

Kind words for my first column: "I feel so fortunate that I happened to have carried the Kelleher magazine with me on a recent train ride to the office and had time to read it cover to cover; what you've done is to marry Confederate postal history - which caught my eye the intriguing way you presented it - with U.S. history, which I have always wanted to better understand but have never been able to devote time to, to move me to finally push myself to dig deeper." BC

The American Philatelist (AP) is the official organ of the American Philatelic Society- The APS was founded in 1887 and is the world's largest collector organization with members in 110 countries. Founded in 1886, the APS is now in its third century of service to stamp collectors and postal historians. Click here to download an APS membership applicationin PDF format. With the April 2018 issue of the AP, I have become a regular contributor, although I have contributed occasional articles in prior decades, such as the research on the Madison, Florida, 3c postmasters' provisionals.

April 2018 - Civil War Prize Court Mail: Profits and Bounty on the High Seas Led to Philatelic Treasures.

The Civil War Postis a monthly column I began writing with the January 2007 issue of this very special publication.It is a general interest column on Civil War topics, mostly Confederate (was titled "The Confederate Post" through 2017. With permission, I am archiving a portion of the column on this website in PDF files. I invite you to check out the ASDA's slick full-color monthly publication, which is chock full of general philatelic articles and the latest news with an emphasis on the human side of philately. This is not just a magazine for dealers. There is a wealth of collector related information on a wide variety of subjects and its features on the people, events and activities in our hobby is unprecedented. It's a professional magazine that has been sorely needed in the hobby for years. Check out the publication website for subscriptions and other information atwww.americanstampdealer.com/

These are selected articles from a column I began writing for The Confederate Philatelist in 2013. I have had articles and columns of various sorts in this publication since the early 1970s. The Confederate Philatelist is the award winning official publication of the Confederate Stamp Alliance sent to all members on a quarterly basis. I currently serve as a contributing editor.

Kind words: "Your Part 2 essay in the CONFEDERATE PHILATELIST, which came just today, is an outstanding, urgently communicated reminder of an important truth about those who care about collectibles in any field of endeavor, but especially in the field of philately. I have taken away and to heart your admonition: '[We] all are custodians for future generations.' Thank you for the reminder." JV May 14, 2017

1st Quarter 2005 - William Weaver, Buffalo Forge and Paid Slave LaborNew Earliest Known Use for Richmond Print - July 25, 1862* Some additional photos have been added to the online version for those not as well versed in Confederate postal history or just for the pleasure of those who are. It is a perfect example of why this period of history intrigues us. Initially intended to be written as a simple report of a new earliest known usage of the "Richmond Print", it evolved into a fascinating look at the people and history behind the correspondence, effectively putting the "history" into postal history. *N.B. This is no longer the earliest known use.

La Posta - The Journal of American Postal History- this wonderful magazine has been published since 1969. They publish informative research by the leading students of U.S. postal history as well as presenting discussions of timely topics and collecting tips. They also publish postal history reference books and monographs as e-books on CD. I began writing articles for them in the 4th quarter issue of 2012. I archive them here for your reading pleasure.

Arkansas Postal History- Dr. Bruce Roberts' 35 years of accumulated knowledge on the subject. This non-commercial site is dedicated to the accumulation and dissemination of information about the postal system in Arkansas and in Indian Territory. Bruce is the section editor for Arkansas in the 2012 CSA Catalog.

Rebel Dollars and Documents, Yankee Stamps- by Michael Mahler. On October 1, 1862, a broad tax program designed by the United States Congress to offset the rising costs of the Union Civil War effort took effect, including a detailed schedule of documentary stamp taxes. In a stance at once consistent and paradoxical, the US government considered these taxes payable also in the eleven "rebellious states" otherwise known as the Confederate States of America. This presentation shows, via intact stamped documents, how those taxes were collected. Okay, so this isn't strictly Confederate, but it is a rich, fascinating and heretofore completely unrecognized subfield of US Civil War era fiscal history. This presentation includes illustrations of 50 documents stamped within the Occupied Confederacy, and 45 more stamped retroactively after the war, as well as a census of all recorded examples in each of these classes.

"Envelopes - Confederate" - a wonderful brief description on the creation of "adversity covers" directly from a young lady of the South during the War.

Custodians for Future Generations is the subject of "The President's Prerogative" printed in the third quarter 2008 issue of The Confederate Philatelist. After reading this, one of the editors of the Scott Catalogue emailed to say,"Your PP column in the July-September issue of The Confederate Philatelist should be read far and wide, and not just by collectors of CSA material."Thus so encouraged, I share it here with you.

Some Philatelic Memories of Dixieis a fascinating look at the stamps of the Confederacy from a collector in the 1800's - someone who actually remembered the war and the stamp as they were issued. The author and the publication in which this was published are unknown. To my amusement in the last paragraph, the author writes, "A complete monograph on these Confederate stamps is much to be desired. Yet we doubt if it will ever be written. We have been this season in active correspondence with Confederate officials, as with the authorities in charge of the Confederate archives in Washington, seeking some tangible data. The quest has not been very encouraging. No one seems to know the date, or the number, or the character of the several series as issued any more positively than is known the year when Homer published his Iliad."The author speaks of corresponding with Judge (John H.) Reagan and others about Confederate stamps in an effort to fill in the history of these issues. At first I thought this may have been written by August Dietz himself, but since the author actually remembers Confederate stamps during the war and Dietz moved to America from Prussia with his parents in 1871, this appears not to be the case. If you are a bibliophile who recognizes this monograph, please let me know the correct attribution.

Russian-born novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand was an unusual woman by any standard. She published the best sellers The Fountainhead in 1943 and Atlas Shrugged in 1957, as well as other titles. She was a champion of individualism and lectured on her philosophy of Objectivism. I was fascinated when I first read these works in my youth and, whether you agree with her or not, they are still thought provoking, stirring the brain cells and conversation. Ayn Rand's equally fascinating personal take on stamp collecting and why intelligent people pursue philately as a hobby. To me, it is perhaps the most insightful and accurate view of why philately engenders such passion in serious students.

Kaufmann accepts Literature Grand Award at APS StampShow 2013 in Milwaukee for the Confederate States of America Catalog and Handbook of Stamps and Postal History published by the Confederate Stamp Alliance and edited by Patricia A. Kaufmann, Francis J. Crown, Jr. and Jerry S. Palazolo.

William H. Gross Stamp Gallery - Smithsonian National Postal Museum Council of Philatelists member and founding donor Trish Kaufmann's personal photo album from the Groundbreaking Ceremony on June 4, 2012 to the Founding Donors' Opening Gala on September 21, 2013.